YEAR IN REVIEW: When Boxing Champion Manny Pacquiao Saw Angels and Heard God's Voice - MARK ELLIS CHARISMA NEWS

YEAR IN REVIEW: When Boxing Champion Manny Pacquiao Saw Angels and Heard God's Voice

Originally published on  4/30/2015 MARK ELLIS/SPECIAL TO ASSIST NEWS  charisma news

Join us on the new C-Pop podcast where Taylor and Jessilyn discuss, debate and sometimes deride pop culture with a strong sense of humor and a focus on Christ. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

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Editor's Note: 2015 was a big year in the church—and in the world. This week we're looking at some of the biggest stories of the year, selected based on feedback from our readers. Thanks for reading Charisma News this year and stay tuned as we continue expanding our coverage in 2016 to include more spiritual insights on the stories that matter most to you.

This article was published April 30th.

He grew up poor in the Philippines and went to work at an early age to support his mother after his parents separated. At 14 he began to fight, rising through the ranks to win 10 world titles. But the current WBO welterweight champion's bold profession of faith in Jesus Christ is what sets him apart.

"God has a purpose," he told Fox News. "He brought me back into His kingdom to use me to glorify His name, to let people know there is (a) God who can raise the people from nothing to something."

Surprisingly, he and noted quarterback Tim Tebow grew up in the same town on the island of Mindanao, in the southern Philippines.

Dec 8, 2012; Las Vegas, Nevada; "Manny and Juan Manuel Marquez box during their welterweight bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena." Credit: Joe Camporeale—USA TODAY Sports

Raised Roman Catholic, Manny strayed from the church as he rose to fame in his boxing career. "I went to church on Sunday, but from Monday through Saturday I was in the bar drinking," he told CBN. "I was gambling. Careless words came out of my mouth. I committed adultery. I didn't care."

But one day he read a letter that gripped his heart. "I received a letter from my mother saying my sister stopped going to school because I stopped sending them the money. I cried, blaming myself for spending all the money on alcohol."

That same night in 2011, not long after his third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, God visited Manny in a powerful dream. "I heard the voice of God in my dream. His voice was 10 times louder than thunder. He said to me, "My child, my child, why have you gone astray?" he recounted to CBN.

In the dream, which unfolded in a beautiful forest amid flowers, he also saw two angels, according to an interview with The Blaze. "When I heard the voice of God I felt like I died. ... I was in the middle of the forest and I was kneeling and praying with my face on the ground and then I saw a light, a very white light and I heard the voice."

He said the angels had "white, long, big wings" and said that God revealed to him "about the end of time."

"I felt I was melting when I heard the voice of God. It was the turning point in my life. God spoke to me and he told me what He wanted me to do and I had to follow (Him)."

For a while, Manny tried to ignore the dream. But one day he felt compelled to pick up the Bible and begin reading it for himself. "I forgot about that dream, but when I started reading the Bible, the first verse I read said that God talked to a man through dreams. I realized, wow, my dream was real," he told CBN.

As a result of the power of God's Word, the working of the Holy Spirit in his heart and the compelling dream, Manny surrendered his life to Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

"I'm happy because I found the right way, salvation, born again," he told The Blaze. "We are required to be born again, all of us. Christ said unless we are born again we cannot enter the kingdom of God. So it's very important to me. Jesus Christ said: 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' There is no other way. The only way is through Jesus."

"When you accept Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior, you have eternal life."

Many changes unfolded in his life as he began to follow Jesus, according to Manny's trainer, Freddie Roach. "Manny has made a lot of changes in his life. He's more disciplined in his life. He sold his nightclub. He doesn't drink anymore. He doesn't chase girls anymore. Him and his wife are getting along a lot better now, him and his family. He's become a much better person," Roach told the Wall Street Journal.

The most important thing to Manny has become his faith in Jesus. "When you have Jesus in your life, when you have God in your life, the things in this world are not important to your heart. What is important is God in your heart."

Manny stays in God's Word with daily Bible study. "Keep this book of the law always on your lips. Meditate on it and be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and satisfied," he told CBN. "When you keep the words of God in your mouth and your lips and your heart and your mind you will be guided by the Holy Spirit.'

Manny won a seat in the House of Representatives a few years ago, representing the province of Sarangani. He was re-elected in 2013 to the 16th Congress of the Philippines. Some believe he may be a candidate for president of the Philippines one day.

"The Lord has blessed me [with] everything I have ... [my] political career and serving the Lord and being a boxer—and I believe God has a purpose," he told The Blaze. "It is (beyond) my expectation and imagination. I think it's time to proclaim His name, not mine."

"This is my life's work: to spread the Word."

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58 Facts About The U.S. Economy From 2015 That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe - Michael Synder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Michael Synder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG
Dec. 23, 2015

58 Facts About The U.S. Economy From 2015 That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe

The world didn’t completely fall apart in 2015, but it is undeniable that an immense amount of damage was done to the U.S. economy.  This year the middle class continued to deteriorate, more Americans than ever found themselves living in poverty, and the debt bubble that we are living in expanded to absolutely ridiculous proportions.

Toward the end of the year, a new global financial crisis erupted, and it threatens to completely spiral out of control as we enter 2016.  Over the past six months, I have been repeatedly stressing to my readers that so many of the exact same patterns that immediately preceded the financial crisis of 2008 are happening once again, and trillions of dollars of stock market wealth has already been wiped out globally.

Some of the largest economies on the entire planet such as Brazil and Canada have already plunged into deep recessions, and just about every leading indicator that you can think of is screaming that the U.S. is heading into one.  So don’t be fooled by all the happy talk coming from Barack Obama and the mainstream media.  When you look at the cold, hard numbers, they tell a completely different story.  The following are 58 facts about the U.S. economy from 2015 that are almost too crazy to believe…

#1 These days, most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.  At this point 62 percent of all Americans have less than 1,000 dollars in their savings accounts, and 21 percent of all Americans do not have a savings account at all.

#2 The lack of saving is especially dramatic when you look at Americans under the age of 55.  Incredibly, fewer than 10 percent of all Millennials and only about 16 percent of those that belong to Generation X have 10,000 dollars or more saved up.

#3 It has been estimated that 43 percent of all American households spend more money than they make each month.

#4 For the first time ever, middle class Americans now make up a minority of the population. But back in 1971, 61 percent of all Americans lived in middle class households.

#5 According to the Pew Research Center, the median income of middle class households declined by 4 percent from 2000 to 2014.

#6 The Pew Research Center has also found that median wealth for middle class households dropped by an astounding 28 percent between 2001 and 2013.

#7 In 1970, the middle class took home approximately 62 percent of all income. Today, that number has plummeted to just 43 percent.

#8 There are still 900,000 fewer middle class jobs in America than there were when the last recession began, but our population has gotten significantly larger since that time.

#9 According to the Social Security Administration, 51 percent of all American workers make less than $30,000 a year.

#10 For the poorest 20 percent of all Americans, median household wealth declined from negative 905 dollars in 2000 to negative 6,029 dollars in 2011.

#11 A recent nationwide survey discovered that 48 percent of all U.S. adults under the age of 30 believe that “the American Dream is dead”.

#12 Since hitting a peak of 69.2 percent in 2004, the rate of home ownership in the United States has been steadily declining every single year.

#13 At this point, the U.S. only ranks 19th in the world when it comes to median wealth per adult.

#14 Traditionally, entrepreneurship has been one of the primary engines that has fueled the growth of the middle class in the United States, but today the level of entrepreneurship in this country is sitting at an all-time low.

#15 For each of the past six years, more businesses have closed in the United States than have opened.  Prior to 2008, this had never happened before in all of U.S. history.

#16 If you can believe it, the 20 wealthiest people in this country now have more money than the poorest 152 million Americans combined.

#17 The top 0.1 percent of all American families have about as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent of all American families combined.

#18 If you have no debt and you also have ten dollars in your pocket, that gives you a greater net worth than about 25 percent of all Americans.

#19 The number of Americans that are living in concentrated areas of high poverty has doubled since the year 2000.

#20 An astounding 48.8 percent of all 25-year-old Americans still live at home with their parents.

#21 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 49 percent of all Americans now live in a home that receives money from the government each month, and nearly 47 million Americans are living in poverty right now.

#22 In 2007, about one out of every eight children in America was on food stamps. Today, that number is one out of every five.

#23 According to Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer, the authors of a new book entitled “$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America“, there are 1.5 million “ultrapoor” households in the United States that live on less than two dollars a day. That number has doubled since 1996.

#24 46 million Americans use food banks each year, and lines start forming at some U.S. food banks as early as 6:30 in the morning because people want to get something before the food supplies run out.

#25 The number of homeless children in the U.S. has increased by 60 percent over the past six years.

#26 According to Poverty USA, 1.6 million American children slept in a homeless shelter or some other form of emergency housing last year.

#27 Police in New York City have identified 80 separate homeless encampments in the city, and the homeless crisis there has gotten so bad that it is being described as an “epidemic”.

#28 If you can believe it, more than half of all students in our public schools are poor enough to qualify for school lunch subsidies.

#29 According to a Census Bureau report that was released a while back, 65 percent of all children in the U.S. are living in a home that receives some form of aid from the federal government.

#30 According to a report that was published by UNICEF, almost one-third of all children in this country “live in households with an income below 60 percent of the national median income”.

#31 When it comes to child poverty, the United States ranks 36th out of the 41 “wealthy nations” that UNICEF looked at.

#32 An astounding 45 percent of all African-American children in the United States live in areas of “concentrated poverty”.

#33 40.9 percent of all children in the United States that are being raised by a single parent are living in poverty.

#34 There are 7.9 million working age Americans that are “officially unemployed” right now and another 94.4 million working age Americans that are considered to be “not in the labor force”.  When you add those two numbers together, you get a grand total of 102.3 million working age Americans that do not have a job right now.

#35 According to a recent Pew survey, approximately 70 percent of all Americans believe that “debt is a necessity in their lives”.

#36 53 percent of all Americans do not even have a minimum three-day supply of nonperishable food and water at home.

#37 According to John Williams of shadowstats.com, if the U.S. government was actually using honest numbers the unemployment rate in this nation would be 22.9 percent.

#38 Back in 1950, more than 80 percent of all men in the United States had jobs.  Today, only about 65 percent of all men in the United States have jobs.

#39 The labor force participation rate for men has plunged to the lowest level ever recorded.

#40 Wholesale sales in the U.S. have fallen to the lowest level since the last recession.

#41 The inventory to sales ratio has risen to the highest level since the last recession.  This means that there is a whole lot of unsold inventory that is just sitting around out there and not selling.

#42 The ISM manufacturing index has fallen for five months in a row.

#43 Orders for “core” durable goods have fallen for ten months in a row.

#44 Since March, the amount of stuff being shipped by truck, rail and air inside the United States has been falling every single month on a year over year basis.

#45 Wal-Mart is projecting that its earnings may fall by as much as 12 percent during the next fiscal year.

#46 The Business Roundtable’s forecast for business investment in 2016 has dropped to the lowest level that we have seen since the last recession.

#47 Corporate debt defaults have risen to the highest level that we have seen since the last recession.  This is a huge problem because corporate debt in the U.S. has approximately doubled since just before the last financial crisis.

#48 Holiday sales have gone negative for the first time since the last recession.

#49 The velocity of money in the United States has dropped to the lowest level ever recorded.  Not even during the depths of the last recession was it ever this low.

#50 Barack Obama promised that his program would result in a decline in health insurance premiums by as much as $2,500 per family, but in reality average family premiums have increased by a total of $4,865 since 2008.

#51 Today, the average U.S. household that has at least one credit card has approximately $15,950 in credit card debt.

#52 The number of auto loans that exceed 72 months has hit at an all-time high of 29.5 percent.

#53 According to Dr. Housing Bubble, there have been “nearly 8 million homes lost to foreclosure since the home ownership rate peaked in 2004″.

#54 One very disturbing study found that approximately 41 percent of all working age Americans either currently have medical bill problems or are paying off medical debt.  And collection agencies seek to collect unpaid medical bills from about 30 million of us each and every year.

#55 The total amount of student loan debt in the United States has risen to a whopping 1.2 trillion dollars.  If you can believe it, that total has more than doubled over the past decade.

#56 Right now, there are approximately 40 million Americans that are paying off student loan debt.  For many of them, they will keep making payments on this debt until they are senior citizens.

#57 When you do the math, the federal government is stealing more than 100 million dollars from future generations of Americans every single hour of every single day.

#58 An astounding 8.16 trillion dollars has already been added to the U.S. national debt while Barack Obama has been in the White House.  That means that it is already guaranteed that we will add an average of more than a trillion dollars a year to the debt during his presidency, and we still have more than a year left to go.

What we have seen so far is just the very small tip of a very large iceberg.  About six months ago, I stated that “our problems will only be just beginning as we enter 2016″, and I stand by that prediction.

We are in the midst of a long-term economic collapse that is beginning to accelerate once again.  Our economic infrastructure has been gutted, our middle class is being destroyed, Wall Street has been transformed into the biggest casino in the history of the planet, and our reckless politicians have piled up the biggest mountain of debt the world has ever seen.

Anyone that believes that everything is “perfectly fine” and that we are going to come out of this “stronger than ever” is just being delusional.  This generation was handed the keys to the finest economic machine of all time, and we wrecked it.  Decades of incredibly foolish decisions have culminated in a crisis that is now reaching a crescendo, and this nation is in for a shaking unlike anything that it has ever seen before.

So enjoy the rest of 2015 while you still can.

2016 is almost here, and it is going to be quite a year…

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Keep The Light On - People Do Notice The Difference - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Keep The Light On
People Do Notice The Difference

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16, NKJV)

Delivering a special holiday package that bright, sunny morning (at least on the other side of the rain clouds) around the streets of Charlotte, I noticed how bleak the Christmas lights were that hung on neighborhood houses and trees, along with the plastic snowmen and Santa Claus balloons laying on the ground. Without their shining glow and a lot of hot air, they actually looked rather a mess. A bit trashy you might even say in the yard and on the houses.

Ever notice how things are so gloomy and gray once a celebration has ended. No more blinking lights. No more prancing reindeer. Not even the good Ole St. Nick near the chimney on the roof fits anymore (pun intended).

When we consider how we are in this world, those of us who have the Living Spirit of the Most High God within us, we can be as those decorations are in that condition, when they are not so shiny and bright. But when it is very dark out, and our light is on, even if dimly lit, we certainly do stand out. People are always drawn to the light. We are to be His light to them.

It is interesting how it is stated in The Message, quoting the same verses from Scripture as at the beginning of this short message:

“Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand — shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

When it is all said and done, when holidays are over and things return to the same routine as before, our lights will shine, for the Holy Spirit within us wants to bless the world around us. Through us He will show them the love of Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach - the Savior of the World, the Everlasting Light, the One whom their souls really are searching for in this life.

Keep the light on within you. Even a little twinkle in a dark room draws attention. People will see the light, and will eventually ask you about Him.

Now think on this, with His love and mine,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People, Inc.

P.S. I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

We sure could use your help to bless the families we do in Israel, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and the hurting ones here in the USA. Please give out of the abundance you have been given.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Click here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People. If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

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Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)

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Now Think On This - In the year of our Lord 12.25.15 - #224 –“Keep the Light On” – Friday at 12:30 pm.

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This

Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

"Bells of Bethlehem" - Painting by Otto Unzicker

"Bells of Bethlehem"

Painting by Otto Unzicker 

of Peru, Illinois

1988

Yeshua (Jesus), God Incarnate, was born in Bet-lehem (House of Bread) in Israel, the eternal promised land of the Jews.

This original painting by Otto Unzicker of Peru, IL was done after he had made his amazing, once-in-a-lifetime, delightful trip to Israel in the early 90's (I believe it was around that time.) He was a very gifted painter, choosing to use acrylic paints and watercolors as his preference.

All of his paintings now reside in the homes of his three daughters, Linda, Judy and Laurie, as part of their inheritance, with the passing to heaven of their mother Lorraine on July 31, 2014.

Otto & Lorraine Unzicker

(The photo on the right 

is Otto in the US Army in World War II. 

He served in Europe.)

Otto's painting, depicting the peace dove, is of the Church of the Nativity bell in Bethlehem, Israel, where Jesus (Yeshua), Otto's Lord and Savior, was born on that very spot covered by this Christian church. This location in Israel was one of his favorites. He had climbed the bell tower steps of the church and beheld this awesome view, which we now share.

Otto touching the Church of the Nativity bell in Bethlehem, Israel.

A great heritage passed on for his children and grandchildren.

This beautiful painting (measuring 33" x 34" framed) by my father-in-law Otto Unzicker, "Bells of Bethlehem" was done in his Illinois basement in winter, around 1995. Otto is the father of Linda Baker-Skaggs, Judy Anderson, Laura Jean Martin and grandfather of Josh Martin, Ben Martin, Hannah Avalos, Christen N Andrew Blade, and many of our nephews and nieces.

We know that this specific painting of Otto won 2nd prize in the Heart of Illinois Fair in Peoria, Illinois, date unknown. The 14" ribbon hangs behind the painting. I believe it also won first place in a Mendota, Illinois fair contest. I know some of his other paintings certainly did!

His artwork, including three other originals, now so gratefully hang in our home in the Charlotte, NC area. It won 2nd prize in the Heart of Illinois Fair in Peoria, Illinois, date unknown. The 14" ribbon hangs behind the painting.

Thank you Otto, my father-in-law, and Christian brother, above all! Blessings are certainly on ye head in heaven now, since 2006!

Blessings on ye heads!

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People, Inc.

"Bells of Bethlehem" hangs in our home.

- painting by Otto Unzicker

Je-Wish You a Merry Christmas! ✡ "Up to the Lord's Mount" - Jerusalem365

And many peoples shall go, and they shall say, "Come, let us go up to the Lord's mount, to the house of the God of Jacob, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths." ISAIAH (2:3) וְהָלְכוּ עַמִּים רַבִּים וְאָמְרוּ לְכוּ וְנַעֲלֶה אֶל הַר יְ-הוָה אֶל בֵּית אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב וְיֹרֵנוּ מִדְּרָכָיו וְנֵלְכָה בְּאֹרְחֹתָיו ישעיהו ב:ג v-hal-khu a-meem ra-beem v'-am'-ru l'-khu v'-na-a-le el har a-do-nai el bayt e-lo-hay ya-a-kov v'-yo-ray-nu mid-ra-khav v'-nayl'-kha b'-or-kho-tav

Jerusalem Inspiration While the world may routinely hear libelous claims that Israel tries to cleanse Jerusalem of all but its Jewish inhabitants, Mayor Nir Barkat adamantly says otherwise: "As the home of the three Abrahamic traditions, Jerusalem is dear to over 3.5 billion people of varying faiths around the world, our city is proud to be an open city, with freedom of religion for all residents.” This is just one reason why Israel is the best country in the Middle East for Christians! This holiday eve, may all of our prayers be answered. Bibi Netanyahu's Christmas Message Israeli PM makes us proud with his stirring holiday address, declaring "here in Israel, religious freedom is a sacred principle." Watch Netanyahu's moving Christmas address  » "Je-Wish You a Merry Christmas" by Rabbi Tuly Weisz Nativity Scenes, Christmas Trees and any perceived threats against Judaism are met with great resistance by many Jews. As much as I understand those concerns, I also think that we are missing the mark and so I proudly wish a Merry Christmas to my Christian friends. Read more » Avocado Face and Body Cream In the Bible beauty is described both in physical terms and in spiritual terms. Draw out your natural inner beauty with cream created from Israeli avocado extract and Dead Sea minerals! Get 5% off storewide with coupon code "GOODBYE2015" » Jerusalem Daily Photo Only under Israeli sovereignty has Jerusalem been open and respectful to all faiths. Santas are also welcome! See more Jerusalem photos » Thank You Today's Scenes and Inspiration is sponsored by Theresa Sell of Bay Shore, New York. Todah rabah! Sponsor a day and receive a free devotional book » “You Are Doing the Best Thing” It’s great to hear from you and make new friends from all over the world. Please send mean email and let me know how you are enjoying Jerusalem365 (don’t forget to say where you are from!). Stay in Touch » I think you are doing the best thing you can do. God bless you and your work. I love the Israeli people and history. Your photos transport me to Israel. THANKS GOD- humberto jarquin romero Blessing from Jerusalem, Rabbi Tuly Weisz RabbiTuly@Israel365.com

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